Hummingbirds are especially easy to attract this time of year, because the young and the fall migrants are moving about throughout the area. They are drawn to nectar plants and feeders.

Hummingbird feeders are available at many retail outlets, including feed stores, hardware stores, nurseries, supermarkets and bird-specialty stores. The feeders can resemble works of art with elaborate shapes and colors of glass, but they need to be functional. You want your feeder to hold a week's supply of sugar water (about 1 quart), and you need to be able to clean it easily. Sugar water in our heat is prone to grow mold and/or evaporate so you need to rinse and refill the feeder every week.

Clean the feeder more thoroughly every month with a bottle brush.

My favorite feeders are those manufactured by Best-1 in Poteet and Perky-Pet Products.

The Best-1 feeder uses a quart jar as a reservoir to supply a round base with small holes from which the hummingbirds feed. The configuration does a good job of discouraging ants and slows down consumption by golden-fronted woodpeckers, which compete with hummingbirds

The Perky-Pet feeder has a wide-mouthed plastic reservoir for easy cleaning and refilling. It relies on plastic flowers for bee guards. Golden-fronted woodpeckers like Perky-Pet feeders because they can take deep draughts of the sweet liquid.

Whatever feeder you choose, mix the sugar water at four parts water to one part sugar. Boiling the water in the microwave makes the sugar dissolve easily, and some sources contend it contributes to protecting hummingbird health. I am not aware of any research results that justify the effort.

Hang the feeder on a trellis or an eave in easy view.

From now through October, you can expect to see three species of hummingbirds in Central Texas: black-chinned, ruby-throated and rufous.

Hummingbird dogfights are exciting to witness as the birds compete for places on feeders. Children find them especially entertaining.

Rufous hummingbirds are the toughest in competition for the best sugar-water feeder and nectar plants.

Rufous hummingbirds have a red-brown back and sides. They are a Western species, and individuals will often stay in area landscapes into January.

To increase the number of hummingbirds you can accommodate, have more than one feeder. You can also increase the number of birds that visit your patio by adding several hummingbird nectar source plants in containers.

My favorite hummingbird plant is firebush (Hamelia patens). In a container, it forms a round crown with reddish foliage that is covered with tubular red flowers from late summer until cold weather arrives. The toughest hummingbird on site will take charge of the firebush.

Firebush is a sun-loving plant. For shady spots, choose pentas, which are nearly as attractive to hummingbirds as firebush. There is a choice of red, lavender, pink and white blooms. Buy pentas or firebush in black plastic containers and just slip them in a fancier container for an instant hummingbird nectar source and showy patio plant.